(HealthScoutNews) -- Different
parts of your brain control various aspects of attention, says
a study in the October issue of Neuropsychology.

Canadian and American researchers
tested the reaction times of 36 people with lesions in their frontal
lobes and other parts of their brains. The lesions were caused
by trauma, hemorrhage, surgery for benign tumors, and other acute
disorders.

The reaction times of
the people with the brain lesions were compared to reaction times
of 12 healthy people in a control group.

The tests included measuring
speed, sensitivity and response differences between study participants
as they did tasks such as pressing a button in response to a specific
signal. They also gauged how the people in the study sped up or
slowed down in response to increasing distraction and redundant
information.

When they analyzed the
results, the researchers found that different types of attention
problems were associated with injuries in different parts of the
brain. In particular, they determined that the ability to screen
out irrelevant information seems to be based in the frontal lobes'
right side.

The results show that
attention involves at least three distinct processes that appear
to be functionally and anatomically different, the study says.
The findings add to scientific evidence that attention is a complex,
multi-faceted process.

The findings could help
lead to better treatment for people with attention disorders.